Smart Home Gadgets

Ecobee3

Ecobee3

Using wireless room sensors, this Apple HomeKit–enabled thermostat modernizes ancient HVAC systems by either averaging temps from drafty bedrooms and too-hot-to-handle kitchens, or by reading only the rooms where it senses movement. $249;

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Keen Home Smart Vent System

Keen Home Smart Vent System

The ducting in an old home’s poorly planned addition can blow money right out of your wallet. Zone your airflow room by room and automatically regulate it with this system. $207 for two vents and an Ethernet bridge;

Whirlpool Smart Top-Load Washer and Dryer

Whirlpool Smart Top-Load Washer and Dryer

This laundry set works both hard and smart, letting you start, stop, and pause cycles from your phone. Do the wash on your way home from work or fluff a dryer load that’s been balled up all day. $1,399 apiece;

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Kwikset SmartCode 916

Kwikset SmartCode 916

Are the kids home from school yet? Get notified every day with this wirelessly connected dead bolt (it works with either Z-Wave or ZigBee), which unlocks via key, app, or fingerprint-proof touch screen. $212;

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Nest Cam

Nest Cam

Baby cam? Bah! Installing one of these high-definition Internet-streaming cameras in the nursery is a much smarter move. Once Junior graduates from diapers, you can use it somewhere else in the house for security or as a pet cam. $199;

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August Smart Lock

August Smart Lock

Can’t change the dead bolt due to a landlord or an overzealous homeowners association? This motorized puck replaces the interior thumb turn and can automatically lock and unlock the door via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as you come and go. $199;

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Sonos Play:1

Sonos Play:1

This speaker produces big sound to fill small spaces. Since it streams everything from Apple Music to SiriusXM from the Web, not via your phone’s Bluetooth, you can wander away from the speaker without your favorite jam cutting out. $199;

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Roost Smart Battery

Roost Smart Battery

Make your smoke detector smarter simply by swapping out its battery for this Wi-Fi-enabled lithium-ion version. It can send alerts to your phone and emergency notifications to family and neighbors. $35;

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Neurio Home Energy Monitor

Neurio Home Energy Monitor

This device goes beyond what a smart plug can do by gathering information directly from your electrical panel. The Wi-Fi-connected dongle will deliver alerts and shed light on the performance of your solar panels, too. $179;

Nanoleaf Ivy Smarter Kit

Nanoleaf Ivy Smarter Kit

Claiming to be the world’s most energy-efficient smart lightbulb, this geometric gem produces a whopping 107 lumens per watt (60-watt equivalent) thanks to its dodecahedron shape. $99 for a hub and two bulbs;

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LiveWatch

LiveWatch

Connecting via a cellular signal instead of a pricey Internet connection, this monitored security system comes with a Z-Wave control panel, one motion sensor, and two door/window sensors, with the option of adding cameras, locks, and such. Cancel at any time without a fee. $99 plus $40 per month;

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Logitech Harmony Elite

Logitech Harmony Elite

End tech-support calls from visiting guests with this universal remote, which speaks infrared, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. It controls media devices and also certain smart-home devices, so it’ll turn down the heat as easily as it can crank up the volume. $350;

Ecobee3

Using wireless room sensors, this Apple HomeKit–enabled thermostat modernizes ancient HVAC systems by either averaging temps from drafty bedrooms and too-hot-to-handle kitchens, or by reading only the rooms where it senses movement. $249;

Keen Home Smart Vent System

The ducting in an old home’s poorly planned addition can blow money right out of your wallet. Zone your airflow room by room and automatically regulate it with this system. $207 for two vents and an Ethernet bridge;

Whirlpool Smart Top-Load Washer and Dryer

This laundry set works both hard and smart, letting you start, stop, and pause cycles from your phone. Do the wash on your way home from work or fluff a dryer load that’s been balled up all day. $1,399 apiece;

Kwikset SmartCode 916

Are the kids home from school yet? Get notified every day with this wirelessly connected dead bolt (it works with either Z-Wave or ZigBee), which unlocks via key, app, or fingerprint-proof touch screen. $212;

Nest Cam

Baby cam? Bah! Installing one of these high-definition Internet-streaming cameras in the nursery is a much smarter move. Once Junior graduates from diapers, you can use it somewhere else in the house for security or as a pet cam. $199;

August Smart Lock

Can’t change the dead bolt due to a landlord or an overzealous homeowners association? This motorized puck replaces the interior thumb turn and can automatically lock and unlock the door via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as you come and go. $199;

Sonos Play:1

This speaker produces big sound to fill small spaces. Since it streams everything from Apple Music to SiriusXM from the Web, not via your phone’s Bluetooth, you can wander away from the speaker without your favorite jam cutting out. $199;

Roost Smart Battery

Make your smoke detector smarter simply by swapping out its battery for this Wi-Fi-enabled lithium-ion version. It can send alerts to your phone and emergency notifications to family and neighbors. $35;

Neurio Home Energy Monitor

This device goes beyond what a smart plug can do by gathering information directly from your electrical panel. The Wi-Fi-connected dongle will deliver alerts and shed light on the performance of your solar panels, too. $179;

Nanoleaf Ivy Smarter Kit

Claiming to be the world’s most energy-efficient smart lightbulb, this geometric gem produces a whopping 107 lumens per watt (60-watt equivalent) thanks to its dodecahedron shape. $99 for a hub and two bulbs;

LiveWatch

Connecting via a cellular signal instead of a pricey Internet connection, this monitored security system comes with a Z-Wave control panel, one motion sensor, and two door/window sensors, with the option of adding cameras, locks, and such. Cancel at any time without a fee. $99 plus $40 per month;

Logitech Harmony Elite

End tech-support calls from visiting guests with this universal remote, which speaks infrared, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. It controls media devices and also certain smart-home devices, so it’ll turn down the heat as easily as it can crank up the volume. $350;